Washington Hospital Center Eye Appointments

It’s that time of year again. Our eye appointments were scheduled for this afternoon. Every time we go I think something will need to get done - there’s been a lot of cataract surgery going on lately. My husband has glaucoma checks, and has had laser surgery on both eyes. I keep thinking I will flunk the peripheral vision test - and miss a lot of clicks. But getting to and from Washington Hospital Center is always a trick and we leave almost an hour before to travel just a couple of miles. We always schedule our visits for the first appointment after lunch. That way we avoid rush hour traffic both ways and are the first to be seen. The direct route to the physician office building on the main hospital campus was finally reopened after several years of construction. The parking structure was jammed with vehicles leaving (for lunch) and clogging up the lot. What was nice is all the office staff seemed to be in good spirits. But the best news was that everything is “stable.” So we are good for another six months. On the way home the neighborhood keeps changing. A good chunk of North Capitol Street was repaved and lines repainted, there was construction galore, but we actually made good time getting back home. We both wore our stylish sunglasses that fit over our regular glasses and I can actually see clearly already. So all in all it was an uneventful visit and it took less than three hours. Let’s hope it goes that way the next time. 

Washington Hospital Center Eye Appointments

Even though it is the second furlough day, it feels weird to be off. I had a sick day scheduled today for our annual eye appointment, so I would have been off anyway. We thought it would be less busy driving to Washington Hospital Center, but we were wrong. The traffic is miserable regardless of a government shutdown. Construction is everywhere. Once there, it always takes forever to get though all the eye exams... Visual fields, glaucoma checks, optic nerve evaluations, reading eye charts. Those darn drops sting more every year! It turns out my husband needs to have laser surgery on his other eye. That's scheduled for next week. I eventually need cataracts removed and the doctor is suggesting lenses that correct astigmatism. My eyes are getting more and more sensitive to light, and everything has a glare. Good thing I don't do any night driving. I can hardly read the eye chart any more. So I'll just limp along with another prescription until the glare becomes overwhelming. What I like the most is the fashionable eyewear required in the bright sun after dilating the pupils.  Some things never change.